millbrook nature trail 2016

Carmel Boy Scout Troop 120

Members of Boy Scout troop 120 were joined by community members to enhance and expand a nature trail near the Millbrook neighborhoods. Improvements included clearing the existing trails and expanding the trail along a creek to enable visitors to enjoy easy access to nature and wildlife on the DNR owned property. Scouts also created and installed simple post-markers to guide visitors through the trails and encourage people to enjoy and conserve natural areas.

On a hot and humid July day in central Indiana, thirty-three volunteers arrived to assist Sam W. in his Carmel Green Teen funded Eagle Scout service project to improve the community nature trail near his home.

Prior to the event, the neighborhood homeowners association very roughly cleared the paths inside of the wooded area, using machinery not suitable for operation by young people. The Scouts' job was to groom the path as necessary, remove tree stumps and underbrush, trim trees, and deploy signage.

Sam, working on his Boy Scout Eagle service project, installed many trail post markers to guide visitors on this public trail.

Today’s children and families often have limited opportunities to connect with the natural environment, and this nature trail will help. In the past decade, the benefits of connecting to nature have been well documented in numerous scientific research studies and publications: our social, psychological, academic and physical health is positively impacted when we have daily contact with nature.

Sam organized the project using SignUpGenius to make certain that it would run smoothly with the needed number of volunteers and borrowed shovels, rakes, pruning saws, wheel barrows, gloves, and more.

Volunteers of all ages participated in this project. Volunteer projects have the potential of dramatically making a difference in the lives of all participants. Volunteering promotes healthy lifestyle and choices, enhances development, teaches life skills, improves the community, and encourages a lifelong service ethic.

Reflectors were added to each post marker on the trail, which is located in the Millbrook area, just west of Keystone Parkway and south of 106th Street.

Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America. Only four percent of Boy Scouts are granted this rank. The Carmel Green Teen Micro-Grant Program is proud to fund Eagle service projects that benefit our local environment, help build community, promote social responsibility, and empower a new generation of leaders.

The before and after photos of the Millbrook Nature Trail note the stunning improvement. Kudos to Sam, his many Boy Scout volunteers, and the greater Millbrook community for completing this project to connect Carmel residents back to nature. Studies show that if kids or adults aren’t exposed to nature, they understandably develop less caring and appreciation for it. In the need to restore some balance between human and natural resources, that understanding and appreciation are essential.